The Colorado Department of Transportation and local officials have begun talks on creating a westbound peak-period shoulder lane on Interstate 70.

While funding has not yet been identified for the project from Floyd Hill to Empire Junction, construction could begin by the end of 2018, according to Stephen Harelson, west program manager for CDOT’s Region 1.

Before construction can begin, initial planning will take about six months, and an environmental assessment will take a year to 18 months.

Most people see a chair as merely a place to sit. For Jonathan Gerspach, though, a single chair can represent hours of work — designing, measuring, building, crafting and finishing.

Gerspach, a Clear Creek County resident, is a woodworker and furniture craftsman, and his passion for the work is demonstrated by his dedication to it. Each week, he spends 60 to 80 hours building custom furniture: headboards, tables, benches, desks, pergolas, chairs and dressers.

Clear Creek’s colorful and rugged past is also the key to its future — and the county’s Tourism Bureau hopes to capitalize on that past with the help of a $25,000 grant from the Colorado Tourism Office.

The grant match will allow the bureau to spend $50,000 on a new campaign titled “Old West. New Adventure — The History and Heritage of Clear Creek County.”

From rabbits to robots, the local 4-H youth program is once again offering courses to students.

4-H, part of the CSU Extension program in Clear Creek County, continues to grow after its launch three years ago. 4-H offers courses for kids on everything from raising pet rabbits and scrapbooking to leather craft and sewing, and children ages 5 through 7 can explore a variety of topics over the course of the year.

It also operates the 4-H high school robotics club, summer camps, workshops and after-school programs in coordination with the rec center.

In addition to possible construction of a westbound peak-period shoulder lane on Interstate 70, several other projects are being planned or are under way in Idaho Springs.

Here is a recap of the work:

Colorado Boulevard

Construction on phase two of the Colorado Boulevard project in Idaho Springs began March 14 with a ceremonial groundbreaking. This phase includes new curbs, streetlights, storm-water drainage and other improvements from Carlson Elementary School to 22nd Avenue.

It’s been a couple of seasons since a group of four seniors — Anna Schwecke, Kaela Kalabany, Katie Vieweg and Claire Werlin — paved the way for Clear Creek’s girls’ basketball program to reach the Sweet 16 of the 2A tournament field. But more than what they did on the scoreboard, that group laid the foundation for this year’s junior class.

When you’ve won just three games combined the past two seasons — going 3-37 to be exact — and 1-19 a year ago in John Onago’s first year at the helm, there wouldn’t seem to be much in the way of optimism. That’s not what Clear Creek’s boys’ basketball is thinking, however.